How much does a Shopify store cost to build? The total cost ranges from under $100 for a basic DIY setup to $50,000+ for a fully custom Shopify Plus build. This guide breaks down every cost component - Shopify plan pricing, theme costs, app subscriptions, custom development, and ongoing expenses - so you can budget accurately for your Shopify store project in 2026.
Shopify Plan Pricing
Shopify offers five plan tiers, each with different features and transaction fees:
- Shopify Starter ($5/month): Not a full online store - provides buy buttons and links for social selling. No storefront theme
- Basic Shopify ($39/month): Full online store with 2 staff accounts, basic reports, and shipping discounts. Best for new stores
- Shopify ($105/month): Everything in Basic plus professional reports, 5 staff accounts, and lower transaction fees
- Advanced Shopify ($399/month): Custom reports, 15 staff accounts, lowest transaction fees, and third-party calculated shipping. Best for scaling stores
- Shopify Plus ($2,000+/month): Enterprise plan with customisable checkout, Shopify Flow, Scripts, B2B features, and dedicated support. See our Shopify Plus guide for details
Annual billing saves approximately 25% on Basic through Advanced plans.
Theme Costs
Your theme controls how your store looks and functions:
- Free Shopify themes ($0): Shopify offers several free themes (Dawn, Craft, Sense, etc.) that are well-designed and fully functional. Good for starting out
- Premium themes ($180-400): Third-party themes from the Shopify Theme Store with more features, design options, and industry-specific layouts. One-time purchase
- Custom theme development ($5,000-30,000+): A bespoke theme built from scratch to match your exact brand and UX requirements. Our Shopify theme development services cover custom builds
App Costs
Shopify apps extend your store functionality. Most charge monthly subscriptions:
- Reviews (Judge.me, Loox): Free-$15/month for basic, $20-50/month for premium
- Email marketing (Klaviyo): Free for up to 250 contacts, $20-100+/month as your list grows
- SEO tools: $20-80/month
- Subscription management (Recharge): $99-500/month
- Shipping and fulfilment: $20-100/month
Total app costs typically range from $50-300/month for small stores to $500-2,000+/month for larger operations. Audit apps regularly - unused apps add cost and slow down your store.
Custom Development Costs
If your store needs functionality beyond what themes and apps provide, custom development costs include:
- Theme customisations ($500-5,000): Modifying a premium theme to match your brand - custom sections, layouts, and features
- Custom app development ($3,000-20,000+): Building private apps for specific business logic - custom pricing, integrations, workflows
- ERP/CRM integration ($5,000-25,000): Connecting Shopify to enterprise systems like NetSuite, SAP, or Salesforce
- Migration from another platform ($2,000-15,000): Data transfer, URL mapping, SEO preservation. See our Shopify migration services
Ongoing Costs
Beyond the initial build, budget for domain registration ($15-50/year), email hosting if not using a free provider, product photography ($200-2,000 for initial shoot), marketing and advertising budget, and ongoing maintenance and support ($500-5,000/month). See our Shopify maintenance guide for details.
Total Cost Estimates by Store Type
- DIY Basic Store: $500-2,000 first year (Basic plan + free theme + a few apps + domain)
- Premium Theme Store: $2,000-5,000 first year (Shopify plan + premium theme + apps + minor customisations)
- Custom-Built Store: $10,000-30,000 upfront + $2,000-5,000/year ongoing (custom theme + apps + development)
- Shopify Plus Enterprise: $50,000-200,000+ upfront + $30,000-100,000/year ongoing (Plus plan + custom everything)
How DigiXoft Can Help
As a certified Shopify Partner, DigiXoft provides custom Shopify store development at competitive rates. We work with businesses of all sizes - from first-time store owners to enterprise Shopify Plus merchants. Contact us for a project estimate.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to build a Shopify store?
A basic DIY Shopify store costs $500-2,000 for the first year including the Shopify plan, domain, and a few essential apps. A professionally built store with a custom or premium theme ranges from $5,000-30,000 upfront. Shopify Plus enterprise builds start at $50,000+. Ongoing monthly costs (plan + apps + maintenance) typically range from $100-500 for small stores to $3,000-10,000+ for enterprise.
Is Shopify expensive compared to other platforms?
Shopify is competitively priced for what it includes. Self-hosted platforms like WooCommerce or Magento may have lower subscription costs but require separate hosting ($20-200+/month), SSL certificates, security management, and more technical maintenance. When comparing total cost of ownership - not just subscription price - Shopify is often comparable or cheaper than self-hosted alternatives for most businesses.
Can I build a Shopify store for free?
You can start a Shopify free trial, but running a live store requires a paid plan (starting at $39/month for Basic). You can minimise costs by using a free theme, limiting apps, and managing the store yourself - but $0 is not realistic for a functioning ecommerce store on any platform.